The Earliest Photos Of 12 Major US Cities

The city of Philadelphia was founded 331 years ago yesterday, on October 27, 1682. To commemorate the momentous occasion, historical writer Michael Beschloss shared one of the earliest photos of Philadelphia with his more than 75,000 Twitter followers.

We decided to follow Beschloss' lead, and hunted down early photos from a handful of other big cities across the United States.

Check out these early photos from 12 big cities below.

Philadelphia, Pa.

A view of 8th and Market streets downtown. Beschloss says it's one of the earliest photos of the city, courtesy of Free Library of Philadelphia.

Michael Beschloss/Twitter

New York City, N.Y.

This home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in a daguerreotype from 1848, from the AP. It sold at a 2009 auction.

Seattle, Wash.

Charles Terry's residence on the northeast corner of James Street and Third Avenue in Seattle in 1865, courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry. The building later became Seattle's Public Safety Building. Theodore E. Peiser took the photograph.